I love this. A suit you wear under your clothes that, if you're under attack and pull a cord, inflates to mate you look like a 'Super hero'. The inventor got the idea from copying nature. I suppose his shi'ite spraying trousers are still in development?

MEET the Inflatable Hulk - a mugger-deterrent suit that gives you massive muscles in four seconds flat.

The ingenious plastic lining, which is worn discreetly under a jacket, pumps up with the pull of a ripcord if you think you could be a victim of street crime.

The shoulder pads fill with air, giving you a body transformation a bit like the Incredible Hulk, the Marvel Comics superhero.

The idea came to product design student David Thomson after studying nature and how some creatures' defence systems increase their size when they feel they are under threat.

He said: 'Each year there are a million acts of violent crime in Britain.

Power 'Despite increased policing and improvements in the urban environment, people in towns and cities are at risk of becoming victims of crime.

'The people most at risk are young men between 16 and 25. One in six men in this age group are assaulted each year.

'My aim was to return power to innocent members of society who have the right to walk our streets without fear.'

Glasgow School of Art student David explained how he was inspired by the natural world for his invention, which is in the college's degree show.

He said: 'In the animal kingdom, creatures deter violent predators in various ways: dogs bare their teeth, some reptiles change colour and certain fish can inflate their bodies.

'Humans lack the ability to put their bodies through noticeable changes and are therefore powerless to warn off would-be assailants without coming into close contact with them.

'My solution is Walk Tall, an idea in urban safety.

'Once inflated, the membrane has the effect of giving the wearer an increased body-mass, making them less likely to become a target.'

If this fails to deter a mugger, you can press a button on the waistcoat which will send a text message to a pal's mobile phone informing him that you're concerned for your safety.

And if you are physically attacked, press the button for four seconds to inform the police, who can track the call via a global positioning signal.

David said: 'Walk Tall can be fitted into almost any jacket, so it need not compromise the user's fashion sense.'

A spokesman for Strathclyde Police said: 'We'd support any product which would enhance the safety of young people. This is an interesting idea